Germany to open doors for engineers, doctors

BERLIN (AP) - Germany hopes to attract doctors and mechanical and electrical engineers from abroad by scrapping restrictions that made it more difficult for them to find work. Chancellor Angela Merkel's government agreed Wednesday to change immigration laws so that German companies can more easily hire engineers and doctors from abroad. Currently foreigners can only land a job if it pays more than euro66,000 ($95,000) annually, or the company can prove there are no qualified German or European Union citizens. Experts say Germany is not turning out enough graduates and could face a shortage of 6.5 million qualified professionals by 2025. The proposed changes are part of a package aimed at increasing Germany's skilled labor force. It must still pass parliament.